


The Pawn Decides Its Fate

by mbunnyj



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cassandra’s Revenge AU, Gen, PTSD, Premature Resolution, Self Sacrifice, Temporary Character Death, epilogue included, past trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:13:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27809644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mbunnyj/pseuds/mbunnyj
Summary: In which Varian uses a literal trick up his sleeve to force a stalemate between Rapunzel and Cassandra, at the cost of his own life and fate. But he refuses to be used by anyone ever again. Even Cassandra.
Relationships: Cassandra & Varian (Disney: Tangled)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 94





	The Pawn Decides Its Fate

Varian stood rubbing his wrists as Cassandra idly sharpened her bade nearby. She’d told him she didn’t want to hurt him, but his wrists were already red. Maybe not truly injured, but it was becoming clear that she was so ready to cross the line that she didn’t know  when  she had already done so. 

The crumbled cuffs that had just been around his wrists were scattered on the floor around him. Thinking back, he realized how terrible the black rocks really were. Once, they had just been mysterious, uncontrollable dangers of nature - a natural disaster, of sorts. But now, being controlled, it was like someone had discovered how to harness a hurricane and bend it to their will. 

The rocks were cold, obviously, but smoother than he expected, even though he’d felt them in their more natural places before. But that was the theory he had; with Cassandra controlling them, they could be smooth like that, more refined, as if they had a purpose for existing, not just sporadically jumping out of the ground. 

He wanted to talk to her. But he remembered the Queen trying to speak to him. He justified it at the time by telling himself that “she wouldn’t understand,” but he came to realize that he didn’t want to listen at all. Cass was the same. She didn’t want to listen to anything he had to say, even though out of everyone in Corona, he would be the one who understood the most. 

But he wasn’t just going to wait around. Escaping would definitely end up with some kind of injury, with Cass keeping en eye on him. But he was still curious about her plans, and surely Cass would just attribute any questions to his naturally inquisitive nature. Varian took the risk and approached slowly, face tilted down, but with bright, yet cautious eyes staring up from beneath his bangs.

”You only needed me for the incantation, then?” He asked. 

Cassandra froze, hand hovering above the blade she was still sharpening, and eyed him. She turned back to her work. “Mostly. But you’re also a hostage.” 

“A... hostage.” His shoulders fell.

”Rapunzel is going to come for you. We both know that.” She still wouldn’t look at him. 

Varian stood up straighter, looking towards the ceiling, as if his thoughts could actually reach the Princess. “Yeah. She’s really loyal.”

Cass narrowed her eyes at him. “I know what you’re doing, Varian. Stop.” 

Varian took a step back. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention to what I was saying.” 

Cass sighed, finally setting the blade aside. She leaned over, folding her hands between her legs. “I’m amazed you can still go back and trust her. After everything you did to each other,” Cass shook her head, “But that doesn’t apply to me.”

”Then what does apply to you? What’s your side of the story?” Cass glared at him, and Varian raised his hands, as if calming a wild animal. “I just want to know. What exactly are you looking for? What specifically do you want?”

Cassandra paused, still glaring at him, analyzing him, before she finally sat up straight again. “My destiny.”

”Destiny?” Varian shrugged. “Personally, I think destiny is overrated. But more power to you if it keeps you going.”

Cass clenched her fist. “It does. Now more than ever.” 

“I can see that,” Varian sighed. “So... I’m only still here as a hostage?”

”Yeah. I promise, this isn’t about you. This is between me and Rapunzel. As soon as she’s here, you’re free to go,” she paused, before adding, “I only need you for this.”

Varian froze. “So you’re  using  me?”

”To put it bluntly, yes.” 

Maybe Cassandra was trying to comfort him, telling him that he didn’t need to be worried, but that word... “used.” Varian hated that word. 

“You missed it, but I’ve been used before. Your... um... ex boyfriend, I suppose.”

That actually made her crack a smile. “Not really.” 

“Point is, he manipulated me. He took advantage of me,  used  me, as nothing but a pawn. And he was ready to kill me at a moment’s notice, too,” Varian couldn’t feel his wrists clench. He turned his back to Cassandra, who was now sitting straight, listening more intently. 

“I refuse to be used like that again.” 

Cass stood up, mentally debating whether or not she should approach him. Varian turned around, quickly enough to catch her off guard. He looked angry, but his eyes were utterly miserable. “I won’t ever be used like that again. Even by you.”

”Varian, what are-“

”In fact, if I have to be a pawn, it’s going to be for me. You’re the one making my freedom a bargaining chip - but I’m the one who’s going to use it.” Varian bent down and picked up a small shard of his cuffs -the black rocks. He stared at it, almost terrified, but his eyes looked hollow. 

“What are you trying to do?” Cassandra asked, a little accusatory.

Varian looked up at her, glaring, though the first emotion on display was sadness, regret. “Forcing a truce. That’s something you both care about. My life,” Varian tiled his arm, and something fell out of his glove, into his own palm. 

A tiny, orange vial. 

“Is that...”

”The same compound that encased my father. It reacts dangerously to the black rocks.” He looked down at his hands. In the left was the vial, and in the right was a shard of his cuffs. “I’ll be fine. Dad didn’t remember anything when he was trapped. He said it was like sleeping, until Rapunzel woke him up.”

“Rapunzel?” Cassandra thought about it, but her mind came to the same conclusion that Varian explained; “The hurt incantation. It melted the amber.” She stared down at the orange vial in his hand. 

Cassandra grabbed his wrist quickly, irritating the red marks around his wrists. Varian winced, eyes squeezed shut. She caught a glimpse of the wounds she’d left already, but forced herself to ignore them. Varian clenched the vial tightly, enough that she wouldn’t be able to pry it out.

“You’ll kill us both! This entire tower is  made  out of those rocks!” 

Varian ignored her and wrenched his wrist away with great effort. He was still clearly in pain, but he still held tight to both the rock and the vial. “You’re quick, and smart too. Worst case scenario, I stop you all together.”

“And best case, you trap yourself in your father’s prison. Are you seriously willing to do that? You know Rapunzel will come for you soon, it’s why you’re here at all!” Cassandra’s face fell. “Because... she cares... so much,” she added quickly, “about you.” 

Varian smiled, but he didn’t meet her eyes. “Yeah. That’s why I won’t let you use me as a pawn in a battle that could be resolved with a conversation. I made that mistake once,” he stood straighter, eyes as determined and hardened as when he was turning against the Kingdom. But now it wasn’t angry. Those eyes were sad, regretful. “If there’s one thing you two can agree on, it’s me. You said it yourself - you don’t want to hurt me. Rapunzel doesn’t want me to get hurt.” 

Cassandra grew desperate. She picked up her blade and pointed it towards the boy, who stood firm. She didn’t want to know if she had the resolve to use it. “Varian, don’t. Just sit down and wait.” 

“I thought you hated that word.” 

Cassandra lowered her blade, taken aback. “If my life is going to be used as a pawn, then I’ll be the one using it.” 

“Don’t you dare-“ Cassandra narrowed her eyes, blade readied again. She was so close to crossing the line with Varian. He knew that as well as she did. 

“Maybe I want to choose my destiny, too!”

As Cassandra began to approach, Varian squeezed his eyes shut and smashed the vial against the black rock. 

“No!” She rushed over to him, dropping her sword. The amber-covered rock began to spread around his hand, and he wrapped his arms around his torso, not wanting to let the Amber spread too far around him. 

“Stay back! It’ll take you too.”

Cassandra stopped in her tracks and watched in horror as the amber began to swallow her friend. Varian fell to his knees, arms still wrapped tight around himself. The amber had crawled across this torso already, trapping him in place. The amber was beginning to build around his neck, and he allowed his head to fall, bangs falling in front of his face, just as the amber climbed above his head, sealing him within. 

Cassandra withheld the urge to reach out and touch it, but then she looked down. The amber had almost reached the ground. She had to stop the spread before it destroyed the whole tower. She crumbled the ground beneath Varian, and his prison began to fall towards the ground.

She waited for some time before she finally lifted her hand. Through the floor of the tower, another black rock rose, Varian’s fully-formed prison perched on top of it. The amber hadn’t even cracked from the fall. He was totally protected inside of it. Now hardened, it pose no threat to the rocks, or to herself, and so she reached out to touch it. 

The amber had taken on a jagged, sphere-like shape around him. Inside, Varian was still on his knees, arms wrapped tightly around his torso, face downcast. But now that she looked closer, she could see his face. His eyes were closed, but he was smiling, despite everything. He knew what he was doing, or at least he believe that. He almost looked peaceful. 

Cassandra knelt down in front of it, placing her hands around the area his face was. “You... idiot!” She slammed her fists into it, screaming. She fell to her hands, and soon realized she was crying. 

....

“Blondie?” Rapunzel turned to Eugene with trademark curiosity. His face conveyed a sense of despair. “I found Varian.” 

Rapunzel gasped, seeing her friend like this. “Varian!” She rushed over to the amber prison holding him, kneeling down next to it. She placed her hand over where his cheek would be, if she could touch it. “Oh, no... Varian...” 

“What did she do to him?” Eugene asked, mostly to himself, as he approached Rapunzel. He helped her up and held her tightly, her face still turned towards Varian. 

“I didn’t.” 

The couple turned around to see Cassandra. She blocked off the opening they’d come through, trapping all of them together. “He chose this, despite my best efforts. That’s why I’m doing this.”

As Cassandra began to approach them, Eugene instinctively held Rapunzel a little tighter, but she pulled away, choosing to meet Cassandra halfway. They stared hard at each other, until Cassandra finally held out her hand. 

“No more listening to ghosts. I’m still going to pursue this path, but I won’t risk... anyone trying to use me. I’ll listen to what I want. So, just once, I’ll... I’ll try to hear you. Just save him.” 

Rapunzel reached out immediately. “Truce.” 


End file.
